Conference Plan

The conference will take place in the Nordic House and at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Iceland, and will run for four days from Wednesday 15 June until (and including) Saturday 18 June, including a travel day on 17 June - the Icelandic National Day - to see various local sites such as Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir. There will be three days of lectures: a total of fifteen plenary lectures from leading figures in the field, each 40 minutes in length; and around thirty shorter 20-minute papers. If there is a chance, there will also be at least one panel session. At least one evening storytelling session is planned, involving storytellers from Scotland and Shetland and conference members.
Plenary lectures will be given by Bo Almqvist, Bengt af Klintberg, Jacqueline Simpson, John Lindow, Timothy Tangherlini, Anna Leena Siikaala, Séamas Ó Catháin, Ulf Palmenfelt, John Shaw, Arne Bugge Amundsen, Ulrika Wolf-Knuts, Ulo Valk, Eyðun Andreasen, and Terry Gunnell. Along with a number of other academics working in the field of Celtic/ Scandinavian/ Baltic folklore, we are happy to see that a number of postgraduate students will be presenting papers. Our hope is that the resulting discussion between the various generations will help us map out some new directions and open fresh areas of international dialogue within this rich and varied field.

DRAFT PLAN (1 Oct. 2004)

 

( 51 lectures, 15 of them plenary: by having joint question times at the end of sessions, this can be extended to take all 54 participants if necessary)

Tuesday 14th June: Check In, Oddi, University of Iceland: Reception at Bessastaðir with the President?
Evening: 8.00: Poetry Reading in cooperation with the Nordic House: Nordic House: Daíthi Ó hÓgáin, and Bengt af Klintberg.

 

Wednesday 15th June: Nordic House (Room for c. 120 plus people)

8.50: Introduction
9.00-9.50: Plenary lecture 1 (40 minutes: 10 minutes questions: Nordic House)
9.50-10.40: Plenary lecture 2 (40 minutes: 10 minutes questions: Nordic House)
10.40-11.10: Coffee
11.10-12.00: Plenary lecture 3
12.00-13.00: Lunch: Oddi/ Nordic House
13.00-13.30: SESSION A: Lecture //SESSION B: Lecture// SESSION C: Lecture: (Oddi: Rooms 106, 202 and 206)
13.30-14.00: SESSION A: Lecture //SESSION B: Lecture// SESSION C: Lecture
14.00-14.30: SESSION A: Lecture //SESSION B: Lecture// SESSION C: Lecture
14.30-15.00: SESSION A: Lecture //SESSION B: Lecture// SESSION C: Lecture
15.00-15.20: Coffee
15.20-16.10: Plenary Lecture 4 (Nordic House)
16.10-17.00: Plenary Lecture 5 (Nordic House)

17.00 Reception in Nordic House (Scandinavian Embassies?)

 

Thursday 16th June: Oddi, Háskóli Íslands:

9.00-9.50: Plenary lecture 6 (40 minutes: 10 minutes questions: Nordic House)
9.50-10.40: Plenary lecture 7 (40 minutes: 10 minutes questions: Nordic House)
10.40-11.10: Coffee
11.10-12.00: Plenary lecture 8
12.00-13.00: Lunch: Oddi/ Nordic House
13.00-13.30: SESSION D: Lecture //SESSION E: Lecture// SESSION F: Lecture: (Oddi, Rooms 106, 202 and 206?)
13.30-14.00: SESSION D: Lecture //SESSION E: Lecture// SESSION F: Lecture:
14.00-14.30: SESSION D: Lecture //SESSION E: Lecture// SESSION F: Lecture:
14.30-15.00: SESSION D: Lecture //SESSION E: Lecture// SESSION F: Lecture:
15.00-15.20: Coffee
15.20-16.10: Plenary Lecture 9 (Nordic House)
16.10-17.00: Plenary Lecture 10 (Nordic House)

17.30: Reception at the British Embassy?)

Evening: 20.30: Storytelling session in a room in a local pub: Laurence Tulloch (Shetland); Essie Stewart (Scotland Traveller Community)

 

Friday: 17th June (National Day)

Those who wish can start the day watching the Prime Minister making speeches in the centre of town.
Possible excursion to Þingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir. Others can watch the festivities in town. (The aim is to keep the price of this to a mininum. More details on this will follow.)
Evening: People are advised to go down town and sample the National Day atmosphere.

 

Saturday 18th June: Oddi, Háskóli Íslands

9.00-9.50: Plenary lecture 11 (40 minutes: 10 minutes questions: Nordic House)
9.50-10.40: Plenary lecture 12
10.40-11.10: Coffee
11.10-12.00: Plenary lecture 13
12.00-13.00: Lunch: Oddi/ Nordic House
13.00-13.30: SESSION G: Lecture //SESSION H: Lecture// SESSION I: Lecture: (Rooms 106, 202 and 206?)
13.30-14.00: SESSION G: Lecture //SESSION H: Lecture// SESSION I: Lecture:
14.00-14.30: SESSION G: Lecture //SESSION H: Lecture// SESSION I: Lecture:
14.30-15.00: SESSION G: Lecture //SESSION H: Lecture// SESSION I: Lecture:
15.00-15.20: Coffee
15.20-16.10: Plenary Lecture 14 (Nordic House)
16.10-17.00: Plenary Lecture 15 (Nordic House)

19.30: Evening: Banquet on the island of Viðey (Departure from the Nordic House at 19.00) Once again, the aim is to keep the price of this to a minumum. Further details and a booking form will be sent out.

 

Sunday: For those who wish to book specially (perhaps on the way to the airport): Blue Lagoon